Chapter 36 Ambrosia Shows Karos Whose the Boss

Ambrosia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Karos for several more seconds. Then she crossed her arms.

“I still have not forgiven you.”

Karos tilted her head.

“For what reason.”

“You attacked my brother!”

Karos nodded once.

Ambrosia stepped closer afterward, still glaring up at the silver-eyed blond girl.

“You hurt him.”

Karos looked toward Amos briefly. “He survived.”

“That is not the point!”

Then— Ambrosia threw a punch or rather she tried to. Her tiny fist tapped lightly against Karos’s stomach. Gently. Very gently.  It was like watching an angry plush toy assault a fortress.  Karos blinked.  

Ambrosia hit her again. “Mean cousin.”

Bonk.

“You mean cousin.”

Bonk.

“You’re pretty but mean, cousin.”

Bonk bonk.

Karos stayed perfectly still throughout the assault. To everyone’s surprise, she laughed, clearly and deeply amused.

“Hah…”

Ambrosia froze mid-punch. Karos looked down at her with visible amusement in his silver eyes.

“…You are very small.”

Ambrosia looked angry.

“I AM NOT SMALL.”

“You strike with approximately the force of air.”

“BROTHER SHE IS INSULTING ME.”

Amos immediately pointed toward Karos while still half-dead against the sofa. “She is stronger than me, little sister. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help you.”

Karos crouched slightly, bringing herself down to Ambrosia’s level. Then—without warning—she gave her a light flick on the forehead.

Bonk.

Ambrosia gasped.

“You attacked me!”

“You attacked first.”

“That is different.”

Karos thought it over for a moment, then gave a single nod. Ambrosia blinked in surprise.

“That worked?”

“Yes.”

Lisa stifled a laugh behind her hand, while Amos observed in silence for a few moments. Then it hit him—something troubling. Karos blended into the family dynamic far too well. The immortal, ancient homunculus capable of smashing through fortress walls was in the middle of a debate with Ambrosia about whether she qualified as “small.” And somehow, it all felt perfectly natural. Afterward, Karos turned her gaze toward Amos.

“Your sister is entertaining.”

Ambrosia immediately puffed her cheeks.

“I am not entertainment.”

Karos nodded thoughtfully.

“You are also loud.”

“BROTHER.”

“She does this often?” Karos asked calmly.

“Constantly.”

“This manor truly is lively.”

The statement slipped out softly, almost without thought. But Amos caught it right away—Karos looked… happy. After centuries of solitude beneath the manor, she was actually enjoying herself. Amos glanced at her, then offered a weary grin.

“Yeah.”

“It really is.”

***

The evening air was calm—far calmer than Amos’s day had earned. Two blond figures strolled quietly along one of the outer estate paths, the fading sun spilling warm light over the gardens and forests around House Kyros. Amos still bore the signs of injury, while Karos looked completely untouched. It felt more than a little unfair.

A brief silence hung between them as they walked on. A few estate servants passed nearby, most freezing at the sight of Karos. Their eyes darted to Amos, then back to Karos, before they quickly bowed and hurried away. Amos let out a sigh.

“This resemblance is going to create problems.”

Karos looked mildly pleased.

“It confirms that we are related.”

Amos suddenly spoke again.

“There is something important you should know.”

Karos looked toward him immediately.

“I have another identity.” Amos folded his arms while walking. “For the past three years, Elena and I had secretly worked as adventurers.”

Karos thought about this carefully.

“I can see the benefits.”

Amos stared at her. “You know what, thank you.”

Karos looked impressed.

“What identity did you use.”

Amos grinned slightly.

“Eoghan Rise.”

Karos repeated the name quietly.

“A strong name.”

“Thank you.”

“And Elena?”

“Selena Blanks.”

Karos nodded thoughtfully.

They continued down the forest path quietly afterward. Then Amos suddenly pointed toward her.

“You can use the identity too if needed.”

Karos blinked.

“Explain.”

“There may be situations where I cannot appear openly.”

“So, you wish me to impersonate you.”

“Yes.”

Karos looked genuinely interested now.

“This sounds entertaining.”

“That is exactly why I am telling you.” Amos sighed afterward. “The armor hides the face completely anyway.”

“If anything, people might notice Eoghan becoming slightly MORE arrogant.”

Karos looked thoughtful.

“I should adjust accordingly.”

“What rank.”

“Currently B-rank.”

Karos nodded once. “That seems low.”

Amos slowly looked at him. “Karos.”

“Yes.”

“You cannot say things like that.”

“Why.”

“Because most adventurers spend their entire lives trying to reach B-rank. Though, I am not most adventurer.”

Karos considered this. “Modern standards appear weaker.”

“That is also not something you should say openly.”

Karos looked mildly disappointed.

“There are way too many restrictions.” The homunculus remained quiet briefly.

“I understand.”

Amos blinked. “That easily?”

“Yes.”

“That somehow worries me more.”

Karos suddenly looked toward the horizon thoughtfully. “This Eoghan identity.”

“Hm?”

“It represents freedom for you.”

Amos paused slightly. “Yeah.”

Karos studied him in silence for a moment, then gave a single nod.  

“I will protect it.”

Amos blinked.

“That sounded sincere.”

“It is important to you.”

Then Amos ruined the atmosphere immediately.

“Also, if you ever use the identity, please avoid destroying mountains.”

Karos looked genuinely confused.

“Why.”

“I may or may not have a record of doing that already and got banned.”

***

Months slipped by, and the hidden archive beneath House Kyros became Amos’s second home. Dusty shelves stretched endlessly through the underground halls, crammed with centuries of records, journals, magical research, political intrigues, forbidden experiments, and enough family scandals to topple kingdoms. The more Amos read, the more he realized a grim truth—his family had always been completely unhinged. He sat under the weak glow of a crystal lamp, surrounded by haphazard piles of open journals. One lay in his lap, six more scattered around him in disarray, his hair a mess, posture slouched, with several cups of cold coffee abandoned at side.

“I think great-great-grandfather tried to commit treason four separate times against the same kingdom.”

Another page turned.

“…Actually five.”

Across from him, Karos sat calmly on top of one of the archive tables while eating an apple she had stolen from somewhere upstairs. Somehow, she looked perfectly composed despite casually reading a document titled:

“Emergency Protocols for Divine-Class Disasters.”

“This one is surprisingly practical,” Karos commented.

For months now, this had become the norm. Amos buried himself in the archives while Karos took care of everything beyond those walls. More—Karos took on the role of Eoghan Rise. And, disturbingly enough, she was incredibly good at it. With a weary sigh, Amos shut another journal.

“I still cannot believe nobody noticed.”

Karos looked mildly offended.

“My impersonation is flawless.”

Amos rubbed his forehead. At first, the whole arrangement had seemed absurd, but then he realized something: Karos was frighteningly good at pretending to be him. The armor completely concealed his face, the voice was easy to mimic, and somehow, personality-wise, Karos nailed Eoghan Rise’s exact energy. The only problem was that sometimes Karos got a little too convincing—like that unfortunate run-in with a B-rank adventurer who’d been spreading nasty rumors about Selena.

“You broke his sword with your fingers.”

“He insulted my partner.”

“You are getting way too invested in the role. You never even meet her yet.”

Karos considered this.

“Perhaps.”

Karos took another bite of her apple.

“He apologized.”

“He apologized because he thought Eoghan was about to kill him.”

Karos looked genuinely confused. “I was not.”

Then Karos suddenly reached into her coat and tossed several folded reports onto the table beside Amos.

“More importantly.”

Amos sighed.

“World events?”

“Yes.”

That had become their routine as well. Sometimes posing as Eoghan, Karos was always on the move, collecting information, watching political shifts, and discreetly tracking suspicious activities tied to the prophecy and the unseen forces stirring beneath the kingdom. Amos glanced at the first report. His face instantly went blank.

“That is a lot of deaths.”

“There was an assassination attempt during a preparation for the merchant summit.”

“The important merchant summits?”

“Yes.”

Amos sat up straighter immediately. Karos continued calmly.

“Three major trade families nearly went to war afterward.”

“That is problematic.”

“One survived because I decided to intervene.”

Amos slowly looked at her.

“As Eoghan?”

“Yes.”

“What did you do.”

Karos thought about it.

“I protected them.”

“That sentence means nothing coming from you.”

Karos tossed another report toward him.

“There are also increasing movements near the western territories.”

Amos opened the document, his relaxed expression fading away. Smuggling routes. Illegal mana crystals. Vanishing villages. Shady mercenary groups. And one symbol showing up again and in the reports—a broken crown.

“I’ve seen this symbol before.” Amos narrowed his eyes slightly. “Yes. I did.”

Karos’s silver eyes sharpened subtly. “It appears repeatedly within older archive documents too.”

Amos immediately stood. “That one’s important.”

Karos nodded once. “I thought so too.”

The archive seemed to grow colder. For months, Amos had buried himself in the past, but now the present was starting to shift as well. He glanced toward Karos with caution.

“You said there was an important merchant summit.”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Karos stared directly at him.

“I believe this next one requires the real Eoghan Rise.”

Amos folded his arms. “That serious?”

“Yes.” Karos’s expression remained calm. “Too many influential figures will attend.”

“Nobles?”

“Yes.”

“Merchants?”

“Yes.”

“Underworld?”

Karos nodded once. “Yes.”

Amos frowned slightly.

“That sounds annoying.”

“It also dangerous.”

“That usually makes it more interesting.”

Karos stared at him quietly for several seconds.

“You don't have to worry; I will protect you in the event secretly.”